There’s a common belief that sports are an advanced form of play. Sports have traditionally served as a platform for learning social order. Sports have served as a catalyst for connecting children from diverse backgrounds. Through these activities, they have provided opportunities for children to learn the importance of following rules and fostering interpersonal relationships. However, these opportunities are beginning to decline. Opportunities to participate in and enjoy sports are becoming increasingly limited, creating a “sports gap” in which family economic status plays a major role. This creates a situation in which only financially well-off families can enjoy sports.
Once the negative effects are understood, individuals and companies will emerge to address them. So, how much exercise is needed to positively impact the mind? Sports companies are making their presence felt in this field. ASICS is developing a system that visualizes the impact of exercise on the human mind. The company launched an app online in June 2021 and has been conducting pilot tests with participants from around the world. The system, called “Mind Uplifter,” visualizes the mental impact of exercise. In this experiment, conducted by participants from around the world, the most positive exercise time was 15 minutes and 9 seconds. If you’re feeling down, it might be fun to try 15 minutes of walking or strength training. Regardless of social status, we want to develop skills to maintain a positive attitude through independent play and sports.
Ovomind, a Swiss company, has developed an AI that analyzes the emotions of gamers using a wristwatch. The wearable wristwatch can read biometric data such as heart rate, sweating, and skin temperature. Analyzing biometric information such as sweating and heart rate, the AI extracts eight emotional categories, including excitement, stress, and boredom. Analyzing biometric information and incorporating it into gameplay in real time enhances the immersive experience. The results of the eight emotional categories are displayed on a smartphone in real time. The game’s content, such as background music, dialogue, and subtitles, changes depending on the emotion. For example, it would be possible to accumulate data on the situations in which a child becomes “excited” while playing a game, and the times at which they become “bored.” By checking the reactions they had in each situation and recreating scenes in which they responded well, it could be possible to achieve a positive state. If these tools and software were inexpensive, it might be possible to spend enjoyable and meaningful time playing games or playing sports without having to buy expensive tickets or equipment.
